Multiple Sclerosis (MS), is known as a neurological disorder, but is actually an Autoimmune Disease in origin. An autoimmune disease occurs when the body's natural immune system becomes over-active and continues to produce unnecessary antibodies. These agents designed to combat infection, viruses, ect. turn against the body (auto-antibodies) and attack healthy cells. There are many autoimmune diseases which attack varies organs and body systems. The following is by far, not a complete list of these illnesses, but is just a small preview of a few serious diseases.
In Systemic Lupus (SLE), these auto-antibodies attack ANY and EVERY part of the body and are not confined to any one body system or particular group of symptoms. SLE can range from mild to moderate to disabling and life-threatening. In Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), auto-antibodies attack the joints and surrounding joint tissues, resulting in severe arthretic pain and deformation of the bones in affected joints. RA can also range from mild to severely crippling. With Asthma, auto-antibodies are limited to the lungs, resulting in inflammed bronchi and shortness of breath. Asthma can be serious, but is easily treatable with medications. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the result of auto-antibodies against the "myelin sheaths" surrounding nerves, making MS a disorder of the Central Nervous System (CNS). MS can also be mild, moderate, or severely disabling, but it is not life-threatening. Some patients may have only one episode, and then not ever experience another. However, most continue to experience intermitten bouts of disease activity followed by remission. Each episode tends to damage nerves a little more, eventually leading to disabilties.
The central nervous system, comprised of brain and spinal cord, contains literally millions of nerve cells which are all joined by nerve fibers. Electrical impulses originate in nerve cells and travel along the nerve fibers to and from your brain. A fatty substance called "Myelin" forms protective sheaths which surround and coat each nerve fiber.
In MS, auto-antibodies attack the myelin, causing these sheaths to become inflamed, swollen and detached from the fibers.Many (Multiple) patches of scarred (Sclerosis) tissue form on the myelin sheaths. Eventually, the detached myelin is destroyed. These electrical impulses sent from the brain are allowed to "jump" off course, due to the lack of myelin protection to keep them on the proper pathways. Such "mis-firing" causes confusion to the part of the brain sending out the messages. This causes electrical impulses to be sent along a different path, attempting to correct the problem. The result is sometimes chaotic, making the simplest tasks extremely difficult.
